LONDON CALLING

(i took it upon myself to decide that maybe ruby hadn't really known where she was headed except that she was rather impulsively headed out with him because Robert told her to, and they ended up in Hogsmeade simply by chance. and, i have to tell you, i love angus in this post. he's just so casual about it. he hasn't even considered they were trying to kill him. that hasn't even entered his head. he's only upset that they made holes in his duster, like this is all just a walk in the park for him. lmao.)

"Bad choice, Pee Wee," James said, "'Cause you ain't seen nothin' yet." He whistled, and up from the back of his fighters came two large figures dressed from head to toe in black cloaks, their faces blacked out. Robert wasn't sure if they were dementors or hags or shadow creatures.

"Shields!" Robert shouted to everyone.

At the farm, Kate felt a cold chill go through her, as did Mira. Mira looked at Kate, turning pale.

"Is it bad?" Mira asked.

"I don't know. Stay here! We can't all go," Kate told Mira. "Do not follow, no matter what you see!"

"We'll hold the fort," Gabe said to Kate, and she flicked her wand and apparated to the estate beside Robert.

"Kate,..." Robert began, fearing for Kate.

"They're shapeshifters, just shapeshifters," Kate told them, her seers' abilities letting her see clearly what they were. "You can take them out."

One moment Angus was engaged in heavy combat, having to watch every movement around him, using rapid wand fire techniques to stay alive, and the next he was caught up in a whirlwind and then found himself deposited someplace else entirely. It took him a moment.

Then he realized he was standing out in the middle of High Street in Hogsmeade with the Three Broomsticks on his right, and all he could hear was the sound of crickets, a little of the usual night time hubbub from the pub, and the sounds of a little yappy dog. Partway down the street was an old woman carrying a market basket and holding a leash to the same little yappy dog that he had heard. The old woman looked at him and scowled.

"Put that thing away, you young galoot, before you hurt somebody!" she snapped at him. He checked himself, still standing in combat stance, wand aimed at fighters that were suddenly no longer anywhere in sight.

"What the..." he frowned, confused. He lowered his wand and straightened up, not understanding how the hell he'd gotten from the estate to Hogsmeade. And then he saw Ruby, pasted to him. He looked down at her, puzzled.

"What happened? Did you do that?" he asked, confused. "Why are we here? And look at me. They've cut holes in my good leather duster, damnit. I like this coat. Rude--that's what they are--just rude."

Ruby breathed hard as she felt herself stop moving, Letting go she lent on her knees and breathed hearing the yappy dog she frowned and looked up at the woman. Taking her hand she placee it ontop of his lowering his wand. It was now she chuckled and nodded " yeah I kinda didn't know where else to bring us, Robert said to get you out of there." she moved and looked at his coat "its repairable, I'll fix it later" she told him holding part of his jacket. I guess this was the first place my brainthought to bring us." she said trying to his how her hands shook as she held the leather in her fingers

He saw her shaking as he listened to her saying Robert had ordered him out.

"So he's the one that ordered me out," Angus sighed. "He tends to not do that unless we've buggared something up. I'm sure I'll hear about it sooner rather than later. I don't know that I'd do anything differently, even if I could do it again."

"So what was it that got to you?" he asked her. "Come on. As long as we're evicted, let's talk a moment, and then, probably, we should go back to the farm and see if we can be any help there." He reached for her hand and saw there were some drops of blood on his sleeve.

"Are you bleeding?" he frowned. "Were you hit?"

Ruby looked up at him her face confused as he spoke " um,, they were attaking you, cutting you all over, thats your blood, where do you think the holes in your jacket came from" she said taking his arm and rolling up his sleeve. "Thats why he wanted you out of there, any onger and you...you would be.. dead" she spoke shakily to him.

"ok but first" Taking hold of his hand she pulled him into the three broomsticks. "okay " she looked at the bar person " you have a room?" she asked and he pointed to a door tucked at the back" okay come with me." she walked to the room and turned on the light. " lets get you cleaned up." she placed on a take the med kit Robert had given her eariler.

"Never thought about it," he shrugged when she asked where the holes in his coat had come from. Then he listened to what she said about why Robert had wanted him out. "Oh. Makes sense, I guess," he shrugged. "Look. I'm fine," he said, dismissing things a bit.

He didn't really resist her when she took him to the Three Broomsticks. A pint would be great about now. But she wasn't thinking about a pint, he soon learned. She commandeered a room at the back, and took him into it to patch him up. As she led him towards the back, he looked at the barkeeper.

"And a couple pints, yeah?" Angus called. The barkeeper looked at Angus, frowned at him for a moment as he noticed all the blood and then a bit reluctantly, he nodded. When they got into the room and she had shut the door and turned on the light, he sighed.

"You wouldn't be taking this a bit seriously, would you?" he asked her gently. "I told you--Donohues don't die easily. This is nothing. A plaster, and I'm right back in it. It does beg the question, though, of why all of a sudden they turned specifically on me." And then he saw the bracelet in his hand.

"I wonder if it has to do with this thing," he frowned. "Picked it up from one of Gelding's fighters. No one should have time to be carting jewelry around in their hands in a hot fight like that--not unless it is important somehow. Not sure I want to muck with it a whole lot until I figure it out, but that was when they went after me, now that I think about it. Wonder what it does."

Ruby heard him talk and looked at the peice he had in his hand, looking closer at it she saw it was an older peice. "Maybe its like a port key, it looks like an older style peice..but anyway lets sort out the imidiate plroblem, Now take off your shirt." she said standing in front of him. she picked up a salve and undid the lid taking some on her fingers she waited for him to remove his shirt.

Taking off her own she now stood in just her tanktop looking at him "Angus your cut all over, now off with it" she accioed a bowl of water and heated it up. grabbing a cloth she waited for him. " look Angus I care about you a lot, and Im not about to lose you now becuse you bled out."

He thought at first she was just being a little overprotective, so he got up and went over to a mirror and looked.

"Oh," he said. "Sorry. I didn't feel anything, so I didn't realize. Robert has always said that adrenalin can distract a pain response. I guess he was right. I apologize. Still, I don't think I'll bleed out. I'm not planning on it anyway."

He took off his shirt, and there was a knock on the door. Angus went over and opened the door and saw a pert little barmaid with a tray that held two pints. She saw his muscular chest and her face flushed. She tried to say something but all that came out was stuttering. He dropped a couple galleons on the tray and took the pints, thanking her and closing the door.

He took both pints, handed one to Ruby, and then sat down near the table.

"Sorry. Was thirsty," he replied, taking a drink from his glass. "Alright, make with the patch kit. I'm all yours."

Ruby breathed out when he did as she asked then saw himself in the mirror. Moving to clean him she heard the door knock and saw the barmaid. She saw the flushed look on her face and frowned at her but quickly pushed the feeling of jelousy away as she watched him pay her and bring two glasses over to her. Picking up hers she downed it in one and set it down behind her. " so was I" she said smirking at him. " okay hold still this might sting a little." she sighed wetting the cloth she started to clean him up. seeing the cuts she cast Ferula to bandage them.

Sitting facing him she took the cloth and wiped his cheek gently " it must have been that thing they wanted back." she motioned to the jewlery laid on the table. " I think Michael should take a look at it...after we bring Edward home."

He laughed when she downed her pint so quickly. He took another drink out of his, giving thought to her suggestion that the bracelet was a portkey.

"Well, a portkey would make complete sense," Angus said. "It might be something that a fighter might want to keep hold of, particularly if he wanted to be sure he had a way out always within reach. Makes all the sense in the world. But even as a portkey, I can't see it being that important for his entire squad to redirect themselves to me.

"After all, they came for Khaat. Remember, that's James' entire motive about everything he does. And Gelding has to make it one of their top motivators if he hopes to get James to get rid of Robert. And I think he hired James because James has gotten into the estate a couple of time before, and he's taken Khaat twice. So, with that kind of a track record, Gelding seems to maybe be thinking that James gets in and out easier and that might mean Gelding things James can get closer to Robert than Gelding has been able to do. Gelding hasn't learned that Robert is rarely unprepared. He is not willing to be a target for anyone.

"So--where the devil could this portkey go, if it is a portkey, that the whole lot of them would want to try to get it back? That is definitely worth some thought. If it is a portkey, Michael and Gabe are definitely the right people to check it out.

"My other questions are two--where is Edward, and is he alright? And--is where the devil is Khaat and Marcus and Abbey? I presume that Abbey is with Khaat and that Marcus made off with them somewhere, but they could be anywhere on the planet. And, wherever they are, are they safe?"

Ruby sighed as he speculated about the peice of jewlery " well maybe it leads to Edwards holding place" she said " they wouldn't want us to get hold of that, it would reduce their leverage." she speculated with him. Running her hands over his arms and chest she breathed out " okay we head back and find out now that your taken care of..sort of," she said and refilled her glass only to down a second just as quick as the first.

Looking at her own arms she saw a few cuts but those she quickly healed and slipped her shirt back on. Picking up his Jacket she smiled " it is rather a nice jacket to have had shredded you know" with those words she cast Reparo on it and sat down holding it as it fixed all the slashes.